A 56-year-old man from Pinellas County, Richard Elliott Bylock, was arrested in Ocala for allegedly attempting to cash nearly $10,000 in fraudulent checks at two local banks.
On September 25, an officer from the Ocala Police Department responded to the Florida Credit Union (FCU) branch on E Silver Springs Boulevard after Bylock tried to cash a check for $4,900, issued by an Ocala-based fencing company. A bank teller recognized the company’s name, having already cashed a similar check earlier that day at another FCU branch on SW 17th Road, also payable to Bylock for the same amount.
Upon investigation, the fencing company confirmed that neither check was issued to Bylock. When police arrived, they detained Bylock, who claimed that two men in Clearwater had offered him a way to “make some money” by cashing the checks. Bylock said he had already cashed the first check and handed the money to the men, who then dropped him off at the second FCU location.
Despite his claim, Bylock allegedly represented himself as an employee of the fencing company at both banks, which raised suspicion of his knowledge of the fraud. Both checks also had his signature, fingerprint, and ID number.
Bylock was arrested and charged with grand theft and two counts of uttering forged checks. He is being held at Marion County Jail on a $60,000 bond and is set to appear in court on October 29 at 9 a.m.